


(cause somewhere in the crowd) there's you

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Soft Ben Solo, sometimes we just need happiness so here we are, yet another meet cute AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-10
Updated: 2020-05-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:35:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24102958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Hey Babu...I’m just calling because I checked my mail and I have a letter for Kylo Ren. Do you know him?”--Rey is simply trying to live her best life in her new apartment. Ben is shedding his past behind and trying to move on. Unfortunately for them both, his past will not leave Rey alone.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Kudos: 3





	(cause somewhere in the crowd) there's you

**Author's Note:**

> title is from ABBA's Super Trouper

“All things considered, I think that went well,” Rey drops the cardboard box on the floor without a care and wipes the sweat from her forehead. Looking across the apartment, she sees the cluttered mess that is her ‘stuff’ from her last place, which amounts to several paper storage boxes and the secondhand furniture she owns. 

Finn whistles and begins to arrange them so they are not haphazardly left across Rey’s living room. 

“No, don’t worry about that! You’ve already helped so much,” Rey waves her hand as she uncaps her water bottle to take a sip. After she’s done, she eyes Finn and offers her water, which he graciously accepts. 

“You know that’s what friends are for, right?” he asks after he takes a swig from her bottle. Rey has only known him for a few years, since college but having any friendship last longer than a couple years (five and a half, in Finn’s case) is not a luxury life has afforded Rey. 

“I know that. I don’t want to take advantage of you and your benevolence,” she smirks and pats him on the arm. 

“I would give you a hug, but I’m covered in sweat and it smells all kinds of gross,” she says. 

“Yeah, it’s making its way over here now,” he wafts the air and pinches his nose. 

“Hey! Like you haven’t been inside a men’s locker room,” she quips.

“I don’t know, you could give Poe a run for his money after he’s done working out.”

“On that note, I think we should call it a day,” Rey scrunches up her nose and waves goodbye to Finn. 

Once he’s gone, Rey weaves through the things on the ground as she walks to the bedroom in the back. Her old mattress lays on the ground and she realizes that she has to find her sheets before she passes out. 

—

A week later, Rey is starting to feel settled in her apartment. It doesn’t feel quite like home, but it’s close. The bare necessities are there and functioning: a futon that folds into a sofa, a frying pan so she can cook her only meal (eggs), and a bed. 

She meets up with Finn and Poe for brunch where they relive nostalgia from their college days before Finn asks if she’s all done setting up her furniture. 

“Mostly,” she sips her orange juice, “all that’s left is really the tv. I have to call the cable company.”

“Yikes! Good luck with that,” Poe rolls his eyes.He takes his fork to his eggs benedicts and slathers the english muffin in the yolky sauce. 

“I know. Maybe I won’t even bother. Who really needs cable in this day and age?” she asks as she leans over to swipe a strawberry from Finn’s plate. 

“That’s a good point. You can just stream everything now. Get a streaming thing that you plug in and voila!” Finn nods. 

“When is the housewarming party?” Poe asks as he wags his eyebrows. His eyes shine with mischief and Rey shakes her head as she laughs. 

“Maybe next month. Knowing you two, I’ll have to make sure there’s an air mattress or something because you will not spend the night in my bed again!” she gives them a knowing look. They have the decency to look ashamed, but Rey knows she’s not wrong. After they’re done brunch, they leave and walk Rey back to her place. 

She stops by the mail room to check her box. There are several flyers from neighborhood restaurants and two white envelopes. One she is expecting, a letter from Maz, her social worker from childhood who she still keeps in touch with. She stops and looks at the other letter, but it’s not her name on the envelope. It has her address on it, but instead of her name, it reads Kylo Ren. He must have lived in her unit before she moved in, she thinks and decides to call the landlord.

“Hey Babu, it’s Rey,” she says. 

“Hi Rey, how’s everything going?” he asks. When Rey was apartment hunting, she met Babu Frik and he was the main reason she wanted this unit. Her last landlord had been less than hospitable. Plutt was a horrible person who was unresponsive to any concerns of her apartment. She had fixed her kitchen sink at least five times and to this day, she doubts Plutt has called a plumber. In comparison, Babu Frik seems like a gift from heaven. He was friendly, offered to help with moving but seeing the frail elderly man, Rey was overcome with emotion at his suggestion alone. 

“Yes, it’s great. I’m just calling because I checked my mail and I have a letter for Kylo Ren. Do you know him?” she asks. 

“Oh, Kylo. Yes, he used to live in 4B before you moved in,” Babu sighs.

“Well, is there a forwarding address for him? I don’t feel right keeping it. It’s from a First Order Enterprises which seems serious,” she explains. 

“Why don’t I come by later? You can give it to me and I can send it,” he offers after a moment of silence. 

“I don’t want you to trouble yourself. I can just send it to him. It’s fine,” she says. It seems ridiculous for him to come over just to pick up a letter that he would send himself. 

“I shouldn’t be giving out addresses, it’s not right,” Babu groans. 

“Don’t you trust me?” Rey asks and if Babu could see her at this moment, he would see the puppy dog eyes and the pout she was making. 

“You seem like a good kid so let’s just say you found this on the internet and not from me,” Babu Frik reads his address and Rey jots it down on her phone. 

The next day she goes to the post office and forwards the mail to the illusive Kylo Ren. On her way back from the post office she walks across a secondhand book store and decides to kill some time and explore her neighborhood. There is a coffee bar immediately to the left of the entrance and several occupied tables across it. The aroma of espresso and baked goods permeates through the air and Rey imagines this is what a childhood home would smell like. 

She browses the shelves, lingering on the ground when she spots a copy of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It’s a hardcover copy with silver imprinted words on the spine and opening it, the air changes and whether it’s dust that’s been accumulating or simply the essence of unopened time, she sneezes. 

“I hope you’re going to buy that,” a deep voice startles her. She jolts and sees a figure to her side. She looks up and tucks the book into the palm of her hand. He’s so tall that Rey croons her neck back to really look at him. Raven hair parted to the side, a sharp nose centers his face but she is taken aback by his accusing dark eyes and his pursed lips. 

“That’s the plan,” she mutters and looks away before his glare does any more damage to her inner being. 

“It’s really unhygienic if you don’t,” he’s holding three paperback books in his hands but his fingers dwarf the books. 

“Thanks, I didn’t know that,” she rolls her eyes. How completely boorish, she thinks and decides to explore another section of the store. She finds a staircase that leads to a second floor with more shelves and a record room tucked to the side. Sunshine fills the room from a large window and there is a lonely record player on the top of a shelf. She doesn’t own a record player, but finding these fills her heart with joy and it’s a hobby that she can start now in her new apartment. 

She comes across a Nina Simone vinyl that she recognizes a song from and a Best of Blondie record that she knows she will enjoy if and when she buys that player. She wanders down the halls of books and ultimately decides to buy the three things. 

“That’ll be $36,” the clerk rings her up and she hands him a credit card. He doesn’t take it and looks at her strangely. Then he points to a sign behind him that reads ‘Cash Only’. 

“Sorry about that. I didn’t see that. It’s my first time here,” she mumbles, digging through her wallet for cash. She comes up with a twenty dollar bill and some change and puts it on the table. 

“That’s enough for the book and the Nina Simone vinyl,” he says. 

“Could I put it on hold? I’ll come back tomorrow with the money,” she pleads. 

“We don’t do holds.” Well, that’s just brilliant, she thinks. 

Rey feels a presence behind her and lo and behold its the same man from before, looking awfully cheerful to see her in such a humiliating situation. She sighs to herself and drops her head down, before purchasing the Nina Simone album and her book. She turns around and opens the door before the man has another chance to say something. 

Rey leaves the store feeling embarrassed but determined to not let it ruin her day. She looks around, trying to remember the way back to her home when he leaves the store.Their eyes meet and she quickly averts them to her phone as she prays to whatever-higher-being-there-might-or-might-not-be to allow her to melt into a puddle of goo before she has to speak to him again. 

Her wish is not granted because he walks over to her with a sheepish look on his face. 

“Hey there,” he shuffles in place, fidgeting with the handles of his tote bag. 

“Hi. Can I help you?” she doesn’t mean to sound snappish, but she kind of does. 

“I just wanted to apologize for my behavior back there. I shouldn’t have said that,” he looks earnest. A blush rises in his cheeks and Rey softens. 

“Thank you,” she clutches her phone tightly. 

“As a peace offering,” he pull out her Blondie album from his tote. Without meaning to, he has embarrassed her yet again. She covers her face with a hand and groans. 

“You didn’t have to buy this,” she accepts the album. His eyes shine differently in the sun, a clear hazel and they crinkle at the side when he smiles. He’s a completely different person in the sunlight. The light illuminates his freckles across his nose and there’s the hint of rouge beneath them.

“I would totally pay you back, but I don’t have cash,” she laments. 

“How about a coffee instead?” he asks. 

Well, she certainly wasn’t expecting this. 

“Rey,” she holds out her hand and introduces herself. 

“Ben,” he clasps her hand in his and the heat from his skin sends goosebumps up her arm. She pulls her hand back to her side and he pockets his hand inside the safety of his jeans.

They walk two blocks before Ben approves of a cafe, one that definitely takes credit cards. A waiter comes to their table and they give their orders: a red eye for Ben and a cafe au lait for Rey. 

“It was my first time in the store. If I had known they were cash only, I would have brought more,” she explains. 

“It’s fine. Sorry you had to deal with two jerks,” he runs his hand through his hair before settling it to the side behind his ear. The tips of his ear burn bright red and it delights her to know that he is just as nervous as she. 

“You’re forgiven. Can’t say the same about the other guy though,” she jokes and he cracks a smile, revealing his dimples. When he doesn’t look angry, he’s actually very adorable, she notes. 

Even when he’s angry, he’s pretty attractive, she admits. 

“Are you new to the area?” he asks. 

“Kind of. I lived on the west side before and recently made the move to the east village. It’s a better commute,” she leans back into the chair. 

“Where do you work?” 

“I work as a teacher’s aide at Meredith Elementary School.”

“How do you like working with kids?” he looks very concerned, like it must be an awful time to spend all day surrounded by children. He’s not wrong, she thinks. 

“I kind of don’t,” she gives a sheepish grin, “that’s why I’m going to grad school part time. Once I have my degree, I won’t have to spend any more time with kids. At least in a professional capacity,” she adds. He nods and their drinks arrive. 

“How about yourself? What do you do?” she holds the mug in her hands, relishing in the heat of her drink. 

“I’m… on a break,” he says slowly as he stares at his drink. 

“From school? or work?” she doesn’t want to pry, but that was a very ambiguous answer. 

“From work. I recently quit my job so I’m taking a break,” he responds. 

“That’s great that you can take a break,” she notes. 

“I’m still looking, but with my last job, I didn’t have a lot of spare time so I am trying to make the most of it. Hence these,” he points to the books in his tote slung across his chair. 

“What are you looking for?” Rey asks as she pulls her mug and blows on it. 

Ben blushes and brings his hand to his hair again. His eyebrows furrow in confusion and he opens his mouth to speak, but stops. 

“From this?” he points to the space between himself and Rey and stumbles his words, “I’m not sure —”

“Oh no! I meant in your new career,” Rey immediately responds as she quickly places her mug back on the table. In doing so, some of her drink spills and they both reach for the napkins to the side. Rey hesitates when Ben picks up the napkin and blots the mess. 

“That makes sense,” he mutters more to himself and rolls the used napkin into a wad. 

“A good work-life balance. Something that makes me feel good, you know. At the end of the day, I want to feel like I’ve made a difference, whether that means helping someone or taking down a corrupt corporation,” he sounds firm in this belief, like he has spent much time thinking about this. 

“You’re looking for a myth. A regular Don Quixote,” Rey smiles at his naivety. 

“I refuse to believe that,” he says softly with a solemn look on his face. 

“Let me know once you find it, this perfect job,” she gestures with her hand. He looks up and Rey is once again taken aback at how earnest he seems about this quest. For a man like him, she imagines he will find it. He seems well educated, enough to afford ‘taking a break’ and obviously he doesn’t have to worry about paying his rent every month, unlike her. 

He and her are so vastly different, Rey wonders for a moment if this (referring back to his gesturing the space between them, indicating the potential for… something) is even a remote possibility or just a chance encounter chalked up to happenstance. 

They spend the rest of their time talking about relatively safe topics (books, movies and pop culture) and when Ben asks her if she would want to meet up again, Rey answers with her gut (definitely not her heart) and says yes, she would very much want to meet up again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am exercising my creative license when it comes to Babu Frik telling Rey Kylo/Ben's address. like the adam sandler-jen aniston classic, just go with it.


End file.
